Alabama

Arizona's T.J. McConnell motions as he is introduced before playing against UCLA in the championship game of the NCAA Pac-12 conference college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 15, 2014, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

After starting the season 21-0, the Wildcats dropped close games to schools like Arizona State and Cal, but rounded back into form to win eight of their last nine games before Saturday's OT loss to UCLA. But Arizona plays remarkably tough defense and can muster some solid shooting out of players Nick Johnson, T.J. McConnell and Aaron Gordon. A well-rounded basketball team -- outscoring opponents by an average of 15 points per game -- Arizona looks primed for a deep tourney run. The Wildcats will play No. 16 seed Weber State in their opening game.

The Wisconsin Badgers snagged the No. 2 seed and will take on the No. 15 American University Eagles. The Badgers seemed like a viable No. 1 seed at the start of the season, when they stormed out of the gate to a 16-0 record. After a mid-season swoon, expectations have lessened a bit, but this team still boasts a very strong rotation. Junior center Frank Kaminsky, in particular, deserves high praise for his work both in the paint and on the glass.

Another interesting West pairing will be the matchup of Doug McDermott's No. 3-seeded Creighton Bluejays and the No. 14-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, who earned a spot in the field with a surprising overtime win in Sunday's Sun Belt championship game. McDermott ranks fifth on the all-time Division I scoring list with 3,105 career points. The question now is whether his highlight-reel play will be enough to propel an otherwise mediocre team into the late rounds of the tournament.